Already Dead (Laura Frost FBI)

CHAPTER FOUR

Laura walked in through the open door of Rondelle’s office and stopped dead, starting to backtrack.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize you were talking to someone else. I’ll wait outside.”

“No, no,” Rondelle said, getting up from behind his desk. The small, wiry frame of the man belied the power he wielded, not just from his position within the Bureau but also from his natural aura. He had a way of getting people to listen, part of that being the fact he was so sharp he never missed a beat. He always saw when something was going on behind the surface, which made you feel you had to be on your best behavior around him. “Stay, Laura. This is Agent Won.”

“Hi,” the other man in the room said, turning to extend a hand towards her. He was young, perhaps in his mid-twenties, an Asian-American with shiny dark hair swept back from his forehead. She could see where, if he let it grow out a little longer, it might have natural waves. “Eric, please.”

“Hi,” Laura replied, out of habit, shaking his hand. She glanced at Rondelle uncertainly. What was this? Some new kid who was training, shadowing Rondelle or something?

“Agent Won will be going with you to Pacific Cove,” Rondelle said, which immediately set off alarm bells ringing in Laura’s head.

“Uh,” she said, glancing around. There was no one else in the room. No sign of Nate. “Does Nate know about this already?”

A fleeting expression passed over Rondelle’s face before he tamped it down. But she saw it.

It was pity.

“Agent Lavoie is on leave for the moment,” Rondelle said. “He’s requested to stay on leave until after his transfer goes through. But Agent Won is a recent graduate from the academy, and while he’s worked a few cases, I think he’ll really benefit from your expertise. You can show him how our top agents work.”

A spasm of pain hit Laura right in the chest. He wasn’t even going to see her? Not work with her until it was done? Just go without saying a word?

It occurred to her that until now, Laura had been picturing a scenario in which she was still in contact with Nate. Even if he partnered up with someone else, it might only be temporary. And even if it wasn’t temporary, she would still see him around the office. All the agents had desks downstairs. She’d see him there.

Unless, as it now occurred to her, he was transferring out of state. He could easily go work somewhere else. Maybe take up a training role in Virginia, for example.

And he wouldn’t have to see her ever again. Meanwhile, she’d be stuck with…

Laura looked at Eric Won in horror. Her new partner. That was what this was, wasn’t it? Eric was supposed to be her new partner.

The kid smiled back at her, with bright and wide eyes, as if she was supposed to be excited about getting to work with him.

“As I was saying, the location is Pacific Cove, California,” Rondelle said, apparently picking up on her apprehension but wanting to plough through it. “It’s a small town, not used to cases like this at all. The locals are swamped already, and once the press starts to head down there in real numbers, they’ll be painfully out of their depth. We want to get this killer headed off quickly – he’s bold, and we don’t want him to get bolder, which is why I’m sending you instead of someone based closer. We’ve got a couple of bodies so far, but the MO is similar and distinctive enough that they’ve reached out for help. It’s a bit of an odd one. Both bodies were left in public spaces, with candles burning on their chests – still lit by the time local law enforcement was on the scene.”

“What’s the timeline?” Eric asked, his voice eager. Like a kid who wanted to make sure the teacher noticed him.

“We had two bodies in four nights,” Rondelle said. “One last night, and the other on Thursday. By the time you get there, you’re going to have about twelve hours to make some progress before we would expect another body. No pressure.”

“Nothing like diving in at the deep end,” Eric said, with the kind of eager relish that made Laura think they were almost certainly going to have some problems. He was green, anyone could see that. Wanted to prove himself.

Laura didn’t need this – not right now. She would have much rather worked the case on her own. She would have said as much, but Rondelle was giving her this knowing look like he knew what she was thinking, and the answer was no.

And then she registered what he’d said.

“We’re not going right now?” she said, checking her watch.

“I do actually listen to my agents from time to time,” Rondelle said. “I know you have Lacey on the weekends now. So, I’m giving you a bit of time to get her away to her father’s. Once you add in that delay, you wouldn’t be able to get there until the middle of the night, and I’d rather have you both arriving fresh and rested. You’re on a four AM flight. Get some sleep before then and be ready to hit the ground running. You’ll need to be sharp for this one.”

“Briefing notes?” Laura asked, wearily. The whole idea was already exhausting her. She could see everything she needed to do stretching out like a map ahead of her: get back to Chris’s place, pick up Lacey, get her home and feed her dinner, pack up her things, take her back to Marcus, pack up her own things, get a few hours of sleep, get to the airport. And then deal with this young pup of an agent who was doubtless going to have far too much energy and enthusiasm, all the while worrying about Nate. And then there was the issue of having to conceal her abilities all over again, just when she was starting to get used to being a little more  open. Or, at least, not hiding them.

Rondelle held up a file, and Agent Won eagerly stepped forward to take it. Laura turned to him with a glare, and he cleared his throat quietly before handing it over. She took it without a word. She was the senior agent, by quite some distance. He was going to have to get used to that.

“Play nice,” Rondelle said, which Laura took to be his way of dismissing them.

“Yes, sir,” she said, though she let just enough sarcasm creep into her voice to let him know what she thought of the whole situation. Not enough to be accused of insubordination, of course. But she knew that he would catch it and know how she felt.

Not that it made a lot of difference.

“I’ll see you at the airport, then, Agent Frost?” Agent Won said, as they walked out of Rondelle’s office together.

“You will,” Laura replied, sweeping ahead of him down the hall. She had to rush now, get everything taken care of.

And if this new kid was expecting to have his hand held through a case like this, then he had another think coming.

***

The sound of a scream had Laura running toward the house, all of her busy thoughts thrown out of the window as she raced up the path and grabbed the door handle. It gave way – apparently, Chris didn’t bother locking his front door – and she sprinted inside, looking around wildly for her daughter.

She’d been such an idiot. Why had she left Lacey alone with him? His brother was a violent murderer and child abuser, for God’s sake! Just because Chris was younger and prettier and had a nice smile, had she really allowed herself to be convinced that he was safe? How could she have forgotten that they grew up in the same household, learned the same values?

“Lacey?” she called out, running in her panic to the last place she had seen the girls – just off the kitchen. But they weren’t there.

“Through here!” Chris called out, his voice cheerful and friendly, completely at odds with Laura’s panic.

She followed the sound of his voice with a desperate half-sob for air, stumbling into a wide lounge where the girls were sitting on the floor. She caught herself on the threshold, hanging onto the doorframe for support, trying to understand what she saw.